The Conundrum of Network Security for Small Business

Running a small business is an accomplishment not everyone can do. There’s a
lot of hard work involved such as bookkeeping, customer service, and marketing.
But what about your Network Security? If you don’t think it can happen to you,
it most certainly can! Cyber attacks can strike any size of business big or
small. For instance, the San Diego Unified School District in December 2018 had
personal
data stolen from over a half-million students and staff. The breached data
included phone numbers, birth dates, Social Security numbers, names, mailing
addresses, legal notices and health information.

The tide is slowly turning in this war against hackers though, officials in
New York City are looking at ways
to help small businesses fight back. Still, more needs to be done overall
to educate and help small businesses with cyber security. Too many business
owners don’t think it’s important enough to implement. The other prevailing
deterrent for small business owners is the price.

The importance is real though, as one
in five business owners shutter their doors due to cyber crime, and that
number is growing on a monthly basis. Many owners simply don’t report their
breaches to law enforcement due to shame or embarrassment. Some of the owners
data that gets breached include intellectual properties that could get into the
hands of unscrupulous people including competitors looking to get an edge.
There are many knock-off products and technologies (smart phones, tablets,
laptops, etc.) that are sold in China. Some of these “clones” were
due to stolen data by hackers who sell these trade secrets for the highest
dollar.

The conundrum the small business owner faces is simply, what to do about
this threat? How can the average small business owner make their security
better? What can the average owner do on a base level to protect themselves
from people looking to break into their systems? What can be done about
websites and the integrity and security of them? This is especially true for
businesses who are engaged in ecommerce. Credit card numbers as well as banking
information can be compromised by a savvy hacker on a website that’s not
properly protected.

So, as you can see there is a lot of information small business owners must
consider when contemplating the security of their own business. When closing up
for the day, they make sure to lock doors and windows, even setting an alarm
when they leave the premises. Why not be as diligent with their network
security as well? Business owners need to investigate and do their due
diligence on potential cyber security companies that can protect them and their
interests. The tenements of a quality security company would be protection
against attacks to the network such as ransomware, malware, viruses,
keyloggers, phishing, and hackers. They should also protect against website
attacks such as DDoS and website takeovers. Having real-time monitoring of the
network is also a big plus when considering who to use for these services. Download
a cyber security checklist of the key things you should monitor and
consider seeking advice from a managed IT services provider if you need help.